Switzerland (Motor bike across the country)

We took an evening train from Vienna to Feldkirch ( near the border of Austria and Switzerland) with the motor bike stored on the back. It was a 7 hour train ride but luckily we got a couchette all to ourselves so we were able to got some sleep.

Feldkirch, Austria

We arrived in Feldkirch, ate some breakfast and then continued on our way. Now, we are not pro-bikers in the slightest. Most of our experience consists of city riding- where we dress in casual clothes and have no luggage on the back-so we probably looked ridiculous with christians leather belt strapped over his suitcase for extra support…BUT we made it work.

Pro bikers over here-suitcase and all.

After an hour of riding we stopped by a lake to take some pictures. While we were there we met a swiss biker with a cool vintage bike from the 1940s. We made some small chat and then Christian asked for a nice bike route to take. He suggested route 17 ( Glarus Nord to Altdorf) and we were glad he did. It was absolutely stunning. Although riding a motorbike on the motor way can be thrilling, it is more enjoyable getting on the smaller roads and seeing the sights that way.

Christian asking for routes to takePhoto time

As we started driving along route 17 I had thought Christian took the wrong exit. The road was getting steeper and higher and every time I looked down I thought I was going to pass out ( yes, I don’t do well with heights) but finally we reached the peak. The land levelled out and all we could see were mountains and cows for miles. There was also one wooden cottage that sold cheese, surprisingly.

Swiss cows and hillsIn the swiss alps

One of the things I love about Switzerland is the fresh mountain air. I am a Canadian girl from BC so I long for that freshness from time to time and when I am in Switzerland I am definitely reminded of it.

Christian taking pics

We stopped on the side of the road to take some pictures. As we stood there we could hear the sound of a tiny waterfall flowing down the mountain. Christian got out his water bottle and filled it up with water. Nothing says fresh more than cool mountain water.

Drinking some mountain waterBiker Girl

In a previous post I mentioned how hard it is to capture a moment ( with just a photo), as in photos don’t always capture the ‘feeling’ of it. Thats how I felt in the swiss mountains. Although we snapped a ton of photos, none of them could capture the true beauty of it all.*Another reason everyone should travel and see these places with their own eyes.

Natural beauty all around

Something I learned about motorbike riding ( at least when you are on the back) is that riding UP the mountain is a lot more fun than riding down, especially when riding down a steep, windy road like this one. I had to use my strength to not lean on Christian, while my backpack was being squished by all of our luggage on the back.

Christian

Finally we made it to the bottom of the steep mountain road and continued onto the highway. We stopped periodically to take pictures, grab a coffee and stretch our legs and then continued on our way. After a few more hours of cruising we arrived in Sion ( the nearest city near Christian’s apartment). We got some dinner(mmm..pizza) and then relaxed for a bit as our bodies were not used to riding a bike for that long.

Sion at the bottom( view from Veysonnaz)

After a long but amazing day, we arrived to Christian’s placehigh in the mountains of Veysonnaz. We got settled in, dropped off our bags and then rested our feet up on the couch- just in time to see a beautiful Swiss sunset.